For the first time ever, all three actors who have donned Spider-Man’s skin-tight suit on the big screen–Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire–teamed up for a joint interview to discuss the franchise’s latest film, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Holland, who has played the superhero in the most recent three movies opposite Zendaya, was joined by his two predecessors for a conversation with Deadline. The three actors talked about the emotional culmination of Holland’s trilogy, the moment when all three Spider-Men (Spider-Mans?) appeared on screen at once, and the enthusiastic reaction to the film, which boasts a solid 93 percent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has climbed to number six on the all-time global box office chart.
“One of my favorite things to do at the minute is to go online and watch fans’ reactions to you guys coming in that one scene in particular,” Holland said to Garfield and Maguire. “I don’t think I could ever have imagined it as being so well-received by everyone. I mean, I guess I had an idea that people would love this movie, but in no way, shape, or form could I have thought it was going to be as big as it has been.”
That scene featuring Garfield and Maguire’s cameos was a total surprise, diligently kept under wraps in the lead-up to the film’s premiere in December, even as rumors and speculation abounded. Garfield in particular struggled not to ruin the big reveal when he was repeatedly asked about it during promotional interviews for Tick, Tick…Boom! and The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
“I justified my unethical lying behavior,” Garfield joked. “I call it fibbing more than lying, but I kind of enjoyed it. It was quite fun, and it felt like that game Werewolf or Mafia where, you know, you’re the werewolf and you have to convince everyone that you’re not.”
The three Spideys definitely seemed to have fun with the cameos. Holland discussed their decision to recreate the viral “Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man” meme, explaining, “It was so collaborative. It was so playful, from [Garfield] cracking Tobey’s back, to you coming up with the idea of pointing at us. It was all stuff we came up with on the day.”
As for Maguire, it’s been two decades since the 46-year-old actor originated the role of Peter Parker in the very first Spider-Man. He told Deadline that he was convinced to appear in the new film after meeting with producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal and feeling that they were approaching the project with a “genuine intent of celebration and love” for the Spider-Man story.
He also reflected on slipping back into that web-adorned costume after all these years, laughing about the effortful experience. “There’s so much affinity for this character,” Maguire explained. “It means so much to so many people that once the goofiness of being in lycra or spandex goes away, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow. This is cool. This is that sort of responsibility, but [also] a blessing.’”
